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Interview: US Army Sgt. 1st Class Gary Packer discusses African Lion 26 academics

  • U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
  • April 19, 2026 | 0:53

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Gary Packer, an African Lion 26 noncommissioned officer development course senior instructor assigned to 640th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Utah Army National Guard, discusses the academics portion of AL26 at Southern Zone Headquarters in Agadir, Morocco, April 20, 2026. The exercise’s multinational academics engaged approximately 400 students across more than 20 military subjects, increasing a shared understanding of best practices.

AL26 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Air Force video by Airman 1st Class Alexandra Dale)